determinatly in any thing nor in any particular place Vpon which reason Aristotle made this definition of the soule of man which commeth neerest to the nature of God Aniâ—a saith he est totum in toto totum in qualibit parte The neerest beholding of this is in our owne minds By the powers working of the minde we contemplate behold discerne vnderstand and iudge of things that are far remote from vs yet ouer selues neuer moue The mind in this case doth not entermingle truth nor participate with the nature substance nor condition of the the things it entereth into Iudge but of the reason thereof which is breifly thus These things are of lesse conditioÌ„ nature qualitie theÌ„ the reasonable soules that possesse these mindes God is said by the Philosophers to be vnmoueable vnchangeable beginninglesse endles bodilesse infinit incomprehensible c. Al which declare not what God is but the hee is not as his creatures are locall nor his creatures mixed or intermingled with him nor with his power or essence For by these negatiues all other things are discouered to have beginning to bee made to determine to be changeable weake materiall corruptible And to depend vpoÌ„ an other being then themselues And that God onely hath his being and place in and by himselfe And the the more deeply any man will enter into consideration of these things the more infinite and inscrutable shall he find theÌ„ For when he shal haue takeÌ„ all the paines he can possible he will confesse he hath learned no more theÌ„ to be ignoraÌ„t of the want of his owne knowledge in the behalf Thus holding it necessary to discouer that there is no place in respect of God as the most readiest way to explane what place is in respect of his creatures and the worthinesse thereof I proceede desiring to be vnderstood that my meaning is for opening the point of my maine argument by the way as I goe to discouer How supernaturall naturall and vnnaturall things haue their operations and workings and the monstrous products that some things against nature are enforced to bring forth There is nothing created but hath his speciall vse be it materiall or immaterial number serueth to make known to man his own weakenes that those things that are most certainly knowen by number to the Creator are notwithstanding innumerable to the capacitie reason and vnderstanding of men yea much more then the fantasie conceipt or imagination of men can by any meanes come neere vnto or conceiue All these thus made of nothing maketh the more wonderfull the power of the maker and the order and worthinesse of nomber within which coÌ„dition euery creature is contained To euery and to the very least of these innumerable creatures there is appointed a seuerall distinct particular and locall place diuided seuered and sundered from the rest which shewetâ— what congruence there is between number place that nomber being neuer so infinite yet nothing wanteth his place And place being neuer so spatious and large yet there is Nullum vacum no void place which declareth how the workes of God do depend one of an other in an admirable propotion order one in true vse seruing the turne of another For how could the creatures be if they wanted place Or to what purpose serued place if there were not creatures to supply them This sheweth that God made nothing in vaine therefore his workes ought not to be lightly esteemed much lesse abused The first Creation wee reade of is of Angels They were made in number They attended their Maker in Heauen There wâ—s their place although they were spirits and incorporall yea standing vnder the law obedience and command of their Maker they had such seuerall places as befitted creatures of such worthines vnder such conditions as they were enioyned vnto Their disobedience and fall thrusting remoouing out of that blessed place to another place of accursednesse shew that there were seueuerall places euen for the spirites themselues as likewise seuerall numbers appointed for these places So hitherto nuÌ„ber place go together as necessary attendants on the prouidence purpose and will of God But if any shall aske either nuÌ„ber or place of the blessed or damned spirits the time of their creation or fall or the reason why it is not discouered vnto men Let those men know that they neither be within the number creation nor place of any those angels or spirits but in another ranke of Gods creatures a little inferior to the Angels And therefore they must leaue them their creation number and place to their Maker as matters inscrutable and forbidden that men should haue to meddle with all The next creation is of the world which consisteth of things in number place The earth the water the Elements the Sun the Moon the stars the beasts birds fishes and lastly man as is said in holy Writ Male and female made he theÌ„ In all these there is number in respect of these diuers creatures that were made there is number in the reasonable creatures male female Place in worthines dignity and the seuerall diuers places their seuerall bodies were contained in or did supply Besides what the diuine spirit of God hath reuealed to holy men of the old ages concerning these places reason hath searched out diuers diuisions and subdiuisions of place done conceiued and vnderstood by number distance which alwayes go together in what action soeuer As relatiues that depend one vpon anothers being The Mathematitians in respect of the heigth of the Heauens from the earth haue diuided this great spacious place into ten Heauens which who so is skilled in their described Spheres may easily readily vnderstaÌ„d This is done in respect of the largâ— vaught and scope that is betweene heauen and earth and the creatures therein placed They conceiue aboue these ten Heauens to bee the place and seate of God the Creator and that all the creatures except the holy Angels are bound downe by this Primum mobile vnder their Maker not to approach his admirable presence Heere is still number place In their diuision they haue appointed seuen seueral Planets wherof we haue warrant to speak of the Sun and Moone by holy writ And of the other Starres there is great experience and very profitable learning hath bin collected and drawne from them Vnder the lowest of these being the Moone is affirmed to be a fierie Region keeping all other Creatures vnder that they may not mount aboue nor exceed their bounds The like fierie Region is conceiued to bee aboue the tenth Heauen to keepe down the creatures in that mighty scope and compasse So here goeth still together number place Vnder the moones Orbe they place the ayre to exist which may not mount aboue the fierie Region With this aire we haue more familiar acquaintance then with the rest because it partaketh with our nature And vnder the ayre the
shifts policies arts deuices that are vsed to crosse the ordinance and order of God to erect establish or set vp any other way or course of happinesse either terene or immortall more or other then God himselfe hath prouided ordained appoined are no lesse dangerous then the eating of the forbidden fruit These notes I thought fit to let drop by the way in regard that I shall after in an other place treate of a vse generally exercised which I take doth neither proceed from God nor nature Into this disease I feare many thousands are fallen so vnrecouerably sicke that with the sicke man at the point of death they fall to bite the sheetes and pull the threeds of the couerlet not knowing that they are sicke at all feeling no paine of their infection And so much the more daungerous is the sicknesse To come neerer to this point It is plaine by sundry places of the holy Bible that God alone numbreth weigheth diuideth he measureth times places and seasons Therefore let him stand for the numberer placer disposer and appointer of all creatures their places times seasons their beginings continuings finishings chaungings or ordainings And let all his creatures be then numbered placed and limited according to their creations nature qualities and estates not striuing against the purpose of his diuine prouidence or adding or diminishing too or from what hee hath appoindted or created To discouer this I must distinguish betweene man and the other creatures and the causes and markes they tend too and ayme at together with the admirable blessing of reason and to what measure the capacity of man thereby extendeth for the searching out the natures qualities times seasons places and vses of the other creatures which could not bee but out of a kind of immortall Nature aboue all other creatures It cannot be denied but that God hath created all things first for his owne glory and honour wherein he appointeth seuerall vses and seruices And within the compasse of this dutie are all creatures as well men and Angels as the other inferiour things And on this behalf God is satisfied with the seruice hee hath appointed to himselfe so his ordinance and will be obeyed From thence let vs come to things that are next vnto the seruice of God prouided to serue the vse of men And therin will appeare what an excellent creature man is in respect of his originall nature and reason And what wonderfull admirable and aboundant blessings and stores are prouided to serue his turne for both his liues The true consideration whereof may satisfie any tempered spirit to be contented with his Creators owne workes and not to soyst in or enâ—euor any other meanes of augmenting his happinesse And to this purpose let vs suruey in order the Creatures which serue for the vse and preseruatioÌ„ of the life of man and take them by degrees from the meanest to the greatest And it will make any man wonder at the admirable greatnesse plenty and waightinesse thereof Let vs consider them by degrees The lowest the meanest which is the earth therin behold the stuffe or matter wherewith this huge bale is filled to make her swelling sides stiffe strong and full stuffed that it shrinkeâ—ot Let vs consider the mettals mines and store of gold siluer and other mineralls inclosed in her wombe The miraculous hanging thereof in the ayre without support The vaines conducts fountaines springs and riuers of water that passe through her intralls The hearbs plants trees grasse and fruite of sundrie sorts that proceede and growe out of the richnesse and fatnesse therof The rayne and deawes that water and moisten the same The waters deepes feuered from the earth bounded and limitted within a compasse vpon the superficies of some parte of the same earth as it were in a great vessell by the side of this great garden ready at all times to be taken vp for the watering thereof as pleaseth the master Gardener small riuers brooks that issue from fountaines innumerably seruing the turnes of men beasts fishes and fowles of the ayre Then behold the sensitiue creatures their sundry kinds their vnknowne multitudes The beasts of the field and the varietie of their natures imployments vses together with multitudes of fishes their exceeding many sorts Consider all these well we shall find their creation was not to serue their own turnes but only alone for the vse of man whose they are to be disposed of by the direct bountie gift of the Creator But how To be vsed as he hath appointed and limitted for the preseruation benefit of all mankind not to the destructioÌ„ of any These things neither know themselues nor the ends wherefore they were made yet they vnknown to theÌ„selues serue the vse benefit of maÌ„ The leane and barren hastening their owne deaths by how much they take pleasure to make themselues more speedily fat If there were no more but this is not here a wonderful blessing and is not here sufficient plentiful prouision for al the race of mankind dispearsed vpon the whole face of the earth In which is not to be forgotten that these creatures cease not in any instant of time to yeelde increase for this prouision But let vs proeede a little further and beholde the other two Elements Fire and Ayre The one warming the sensitiue parts and the other maintaining the spirit that keepeth life neither of these know what they are nor the end they were made for The very Ayre it selfe sustaineth and in a sort preserueth the flying fowles in her concaue and hollow Region Let vs goe further these foure Elements though there bee contrarietie in their seuerall natures yet thâ—re is a Simpathy and a ioynt working together by the appointmeÌ„t of the chiefe work-master for the making growing cherishing and maintaining of the life of man as well by their incorparation in the body of man as by the vse and fruition of these other Creatures Will you not think these sufficient yea admirable blessings The earth to bring forth fruite and hearbs so vniuersally coÌ„tinually some for the foode of man and others for the foode of beastes to perpare them to be mans meate The sheepe to bring both lambe for meat fleece for clothing the beast to bring the calfe milke butter cheese to be eaten and to bee worne the fowle to bring first egs then chickens lastly feathers for easie lodging the fishes first spawn then frie. The trees to erect houses and make the fire The earth that produceth grasse serueth for tile to couer the houses The strawe that yeeldeth tâ—e corne serueth other purposes The timber that buildeth at land serueth for nauigation at sea Out of the line or flax that maketh the great Cable to bee drawne the threeds that make the fine curious linnen from the fauage wilde beasts their warm furs from the hearbs plants rich and estimable vertues from
number of daies to euery day 24 hours to euery houre 60. minutes And so reducing these learnings to one point or head they proportioÌ„ as wel Latitude and Longitude of place as motion â—passage of time together with the influence and aspects of the planets and starres in such sort as if this mistery were vnknown in any mans vnderstanding it were impossible to be found out And because the sun passeth alwaies froÌ„ the East to the West and neuer fully reacheth to the point of the North or South they haue determined diuided the world into 5. seueral zones The 2. remote parts of North South they call the cold parts the middle they cal the hot or burning zone the other two are the temperate parts To this they haue likewise added a girdle that goeth ouerthwart the hot two temperat zones diuiding the same into 12. equal parts ascribing a seueral Lord or Gouernor of these houses limiting the sun 30. daies trauel to passe throgh euery of mese same with many other admirable necessary lernings And out of these Arts it is well knowne they haue truely set down the Eclipses of the Sunne and Moone the reuolution of the Starres stabilitie of the North and South poles the motion of the others by which all nauigation is maintained the compasse carde needle proportioned nay the ship it selfe and all other buildings both of land and sea deuised framed fashioned Al couÌ„tries known and seuered and euery mans possession diuided one from an other Astronomy and Astrologie haue taken their foundation there And how much the Physitians knowledges are increased thereby or what defects they would finde by the want therof let themselues iudge But to be short These Arts are the onely and true directors of the whole course of mens liues as wel in gouernment as obedience in distribution as well as in receiuing for there being diuersitie of honours places dignities and worthinesse so ought there to be a measure and indifferency in proportioning their contributions Many thousands of admirable blessings would follow ReasoÌ„ if measure and proportion were truely kept For then should the King haue the supreme place The magistrates their due honour The subiects true and equall iustice and euery man his owne right without controuersie checke or controlment But Originall reason is so weakened and impaired that these things are not to be looked for mens natures are preuaricated and intemperate disires so bent to disorder that poore Queene Reason hath little place and her proportions little esteemed and lesse vsed Reason of it selfe discerneth and concludeth that the heauens are imbowed like a vault about the lower parts And the lower parts circumualated and incompassed within the heauens conuexitie The earth as the flower or planckes to goe vpon and retaine the massie bodies of men and the mighty inuolued numbers of Creatures there on residing And the heauens as the wide drawne and large extended Canopie to couer all these with many included essences and beings all seruing to exercise Reason withall the more fully to apprehend the incomprehensible greatnesse goodnesse bountie of the Creator and the worthinesse of mans originall Creation But as is before discouered this perfection of Reason innocencie is lost corruptioÌ„ is creptin and taken vp right and true Reasons roome and had so much impaired blemished darkened obscured Reasons faculties that euen the arts themselues were almost forgotteÌ„ put to obliuion great labour hath bene vsed to reuiue recontinue and vphold or make knowne these former Arts and Science Concerning this point Let vs take a short viewe of the beginnings of creatures All things had a kinde of perfectioÌ„ yet subiect to imperfectioÌ„s As creatures to a Creators command Then the first declination laps after the Creation which hath ouerthrowne the sincere purenesse of ReasoÌ„ The feare of punishment for that offence hath exercised mans reason with many incomberments and caused a kind of decisting to continue the rememberance of such parts of reason as then remained not vtterly ouerthrowne Vnto which I adde two other decaies the ouerthrow of the world by the floud accursedness of the earth at that time And the confusion of languages at the ouerthrowe of the Tower of Babel being in maÌ„ner Arts destruction For after this time in many parts of the world Arts Sciences were almost vtterly vnknown therâ—equired a new time first to learne vnderstaÌ„d languages before Arts could be taught few remained in life that had the Science of teaching or at the least for the dispercing of arts for that there was then no such common vse of letters as of later time for that reason had not then discouered the Art of printing besides the amazednes of that coÌ„fusioÌ„ of tongues caused the inhabitaÌ„ts of the earth to dispose theÌ„selues into couÌ„tries vnfurnished with other fruits then such as the earth of her owne accursed nature did produce none such as were in the original Creation so men had enough to doe to prouide theÌ„selues food apparell for many hundreth yeers so as besides the forgetting of the vse of Arts there scarce remained so much as the vse of tillage and manuring of the earth to succour and defend mens liues by which meanes Arts remained raked vp as fire vnder ashes not cleanâ— extinct yet seeming not to bee In so much as it is reported of those parts of the world wherein as well the Greekes and other nations liue that Philosophie was first discouered by Pithagoras long after whose time the Romanes are holden to be ignorant thereof Seneca faith Philosophie was not found out aboue one thousand yeares before his time Socrates is said to be the first that brought it from studie to practice which is not much aboue two thousand yeares since for which he is so holden in admiration as he is said to haue brought it from heauen to earth and thereby to haue taught men how to gouerne themselues and others yet these learnings had their Originalls before though they attributed theÌ„ to Pithagoras as the beginner thereof arguing their owne ignorance for Pithagoras learned his skil from Gonâ—hedie and of the Iewes Plato of Sechnuphis Endoxus of Conuphis and al these of the disciples of Trismegestus who out of his own bookes manifesteth that he learned it of Moses Thales is said to be the first that taught in Astronomy to the Greekes It appeareth as wel by his own as other mens workes that it was taught him by the Egyptians to the EgyptiaÌ„s by the Caldeans And if Belus as Plini reporteth were the finder out thereof yet hee hath the same from Abraham in whose time he liued wherin I obserue that many contentions haue bene about the beginning thereof to aduaunce the honour of their owne Countries But howsoeuer it is most true that the perfection of those Sciences and Arts were lost in manner put to absolute obscuritie and obliuion For it is said that
auncient written storie part left in bookes and part in contemplation I finde Creation tended to Godi glory but when I looke vpon the foule euasion Loe then I cry I howle I weepe I moane and seeke for truth but truth alas is gone Whilom of old before the earth was founded or hearhs or trees or plants or beasts had being Or that the mightie Canopie of heaueÌ„ surrounded these lower Creatures â—re that the eye had seeing Then reason was within the mind of Ioue embracing only amitie and loue The blessed Angels formes and admirable natures their happie states their liues and high perfectioÌ„s Immortall essence and vnmeasured statures the more make known their falls low directiÌ„os These things when Reason doth peruse She finds her errors which she would excuse â—ut out alas she sees strife is all in vaine It boates not to contend on stand in this defence death sorow grief bell tormeÌ„ts are her gaine And endlesse burning fire becomes our recompence Oh heauie mâ—ane Oh endlesse sorrowes anguishs Neuer to cease but euer still to languish When I peruse the state of prime Created man His wealth his dignitie and reason His power his pleasure his greatnesse when I sâ—anâ— I doe admire and wonder that in so short a season These noble parts should haue so short conclusion and man himselfe be brought to such confusion In seeking countries far beyond the seas I finde Euen where faire Edens pleasant garden stood And all the Coasts vnto the same confinde Gall to cruell wars mens hands embru'd in blood In cutting throats and murders men delight So from these places Reason's banisht quite O Ierusalem that thou shouldst now turne Turke And Sions hil where holy Rites of yore were vs'd Oh that within that Holy place should turke Such sacriledge whereby Ioues nauâ—e's abusdo What famous Greece farewel thou canst not bost thy great renowme thy wit thy learning 's lost The further search I make the worse effect I finde All Asia swarmes with huge impietie All Affrick's bent vnto a bloody minde All Treachers gainst Ioue his great deitie Let vs returne to famous Brittons King whose worthy praise let all the world goe sing Great Tetragramaton out of thy bountious loue Let all the world and Nations truely know That be plants peace and quarrell doth remoue Let him be great'st on all the earth belowe Long may he liue and all the wâ—rld admire that peace is wrought as they themselues desire Whâ—t Vnion he hath brought to late perfection Twixt Nations that hath so long contended Their warres and enuies by him receiue correction And in his royal Person all their iars are ended And so in briefe conclude ought all that liue giue thanks to him for ioy that Peace doth giue By power and will of this our mightie King ReasoÌ„ doth shew that God hath wroght a wonder Countries distract he doth to Vnion bring And ioynes together States which others sunder God grant him life till Shiloes comming be In heauens high seate he may enthronized be FINIS Plotin En. 5. Lib. 1. Place in respect of God Place in respect of the Creatures Supernaâ—ural Naturall Vnnaturall Place diuiâ—ed Platarche in the life of Osiris and Isis. Plato Plotin and other great Writers Trâ—smegistos in Asclapio Simplicius Plotinâ—â— Enead 3. Lib. 2. Chap. 1. A double life in man When I say innumerable I meane according to the capacity of men Plutarch in Iâ—s Ofiris Iamblicus in libro de misteriis Cap 1. Laercus in the life of Thales Thales in his epâ—tle to Pherecides Plin. lib. 2. Plutarhe in the life of Niceas Quintilian Lib. 2. About â— 20. yeares before Christ. Theucidides Lib. 1. Orpheus in his Argoâ—nts Cicero in his first booke of Inuention and in his first booke of Oratory Things aboue the Nature or Reason of man Things naturall Things against nature Alchemy This is the maine point against Nature How mony should produce monic Vsurie The Lawe wronged Statut. de Iu daismo 37. H. â—9 13 Elizâ— 8 3â— Eliza. 7. The like for 3.6 or 9. Monâ—ths apportioning the vse as if those vvere perfect times to diuide by 37. Heb. 8 7. Art abusâ—â— Reason and Art conclude with â—uth Contribution Things sold in tender age for want of allowance of time are of lesse value then otherwise they would be